A Smart Dragon-3 carrier rocket lifted off from Rizhao, Shandong province, delivering 11 satellites for Geesatcom, a low Earth orbit satellite constellation, into their planned orbit on Sept 9.

A Smart Dragon-3 rocket launches from Rizhao, Shandong province, carrying 11 satellites for Geely's Geesatcom. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn] 

With this mission, the constellation operated by Geespace, a tech company under Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, now totals 52 satellites. As the first low-Earth orbit constellation built by a private company in Zhejiang province, Geesatcom provides global satellite-based IoT communication. The new additions improve its worldwide coverage. Geespace has already established partnerships in more than 20 countries across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Trials show a communication success rate of 99.15 percent and network availability of over 99.97 percent, even under complex electromagnetic conditions.

The constellation supports applications such as smart connected vehicles, low-altitude aviation, construction machinery, and marine fisheries. It enables vehicles to transmit data and receive driving assistance in remote areas, allows drones to maintain stable links, dispatches construction equipment with precision, and enhances the rescue capability of fishing vessels. These applications strengthen both industrial upgrades and public services.

All satellites are built in the Taizhou Bay New Area in Zhejiang, at what the company describes as the world's first "super factory" combining aerospace and automotive mass-production techniques. The facility has shortened satellite production cycles to under 28 days and reduced costs by about 45 percent, while achieving an annual capacity of 500 units. Its standardized and modular processes give private firms new speed and flexibility in satellite production, laying a foundation for large-scale constellation projects.

An exterior view of Geely's satellite factory in Taizhou. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]